The National Trust for Scotland cares for ancient houses, castles, mills, gardens and battlefields. It also protects and shares some of the most beautiful places in Scotland, including coastlines, islands and mountain ranges. And it looks after the communities, plants and animals which depend on them. | The Trust conserves 76,000 hectares of countryside from Wester Ross to Ayshire and is a custodian of 38 gardens, 8 national nature reserves and 27 castles and houses. It works hard to conserve Scotland's beautiful places, even in the winter months! There's lots to see and do! The National Trust for Scotland has lots to do and plenty of places to explore. Autumn is a stunning time of year to enjoy the countryside, with its beautiful changing colours, and walks, wildlife spotting, exploring - and even things to do on a rainy day! With places like Brodick Castle, Glencoe, Brodie Castle, and Culzean Castle, there's plenty to discover. Culzean Castle, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, the Glencoe National Nature Reserve, St Kilda, Mar Lodge National Nature Reserve, Culloden, Bannockburn and Ben Lomond are all cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. And giving a membership is a great way to help the Trust and support its work! Find out more about Autumn at the National Trust for Scotland here. Give a gift membership to the National Trust for Scotland here. | So there’s a great range of things to do for members, from being with the sounds and sight of the sea and birds on the coastlines and islands, to contemplating historical events or getting an insight into the daily lives of our predecessors in places such as Culloden and finding out about the life of Scottish people and famous folk such as Robert Burns.. And the National Trust for Scotland is very busy helping nature and conservation, too! Benefits of the National Trust for Scotland's membership scheme There are over 100 places to visit, 100,000 places to admire, 76,000 hecteres of countryside to explore, 8 national nature reserves to experience, and 300,000 precious objects to discover! Treat someone to a year of experiences and discovery and help protect Scotland's beautiful places at the same time! Memberships start from £4.65 a month. - Access to all Trust places - Free entry to National Trust for Scotland places - there are over 100 places to explore across Scotland with castles, coastlines, art, architecture, wilderness and wildlife!
- Gift membership includes free parking in the Trust-owned car parks, perfect for exploring Scotland’s countryside and enjoying the vast network of paths and walks at our outdoor places.
- A subscription to the Trust's award-winning magazine, 3 times a year with stories, ideas for days out and news. You also receive a copy of the Guide each year, giving details of all the places in the Trust's care as well as two car parking stickers
- Exclusive member events, activities and news
- Access to places cared for by National Trust organisations around the world with the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO). This includes National Trust properties in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Italy, Ireland, Canada, Australia and more.
- The knowledge your support helps the National Trust protect the places in its care, funding vital conservation work for future generations and everyone now.
There are various memberships, such as Individual, Joint and Young, Senior, Family and Life, starting from £5.20 a month. (The Young Membership starts at £3.35 a month.) There's lots of fun to be had at the National Trust for Scotland's special places! And lots of exploring and discovering to do!
Find out about the PLANTS project here
There's some great Halloween recipes from the National Trust for Scotland, and also you can find out more about Halloween traditions and ghosts in Scotland!
What were the highlights for the National Trust for Scotland in 2023? The National Trust for Scotland had an amazing year in 2023. Just some of their highlights included - Over 400km of mountain footpaths were repaired and protected, thanks to the efforts of the Trust’s upland footpaths team and the support of donors giving to the Trust’s Footpaths Fund
- Cal Major became the Trust’s ambassador, helping to raise awareness of the charity’s conservation work, particularly with the coastlines, islands and marine environments that the Trust cares for
- At St Abb’ Head, a record breaking biodiversity monitoring took place – over 300 species of floral, fauna and wildlife were documented in just ONE day! This was thanks to the considerable effort of rangers and local people.
Take a look at the team blog from the St Kilda ranger team - it returns for a new season, sharing stories about living in the most remote Trust place.
- The Trust welcomed 3.2 million visitors to its places. They must have been hungry – the Trust served 325,000 scones and 91,000 bowls of soup!
- The Trust finished the second phase of its PLANTS Project, with another 17 gardens and 32,000 plants audited. This included a rare rhododendron which had been planted before the First World War! Find out about the PLANTS project here.
- In August 2023, the Trust celebrated 30 years of having an in-house archaeology team – this has enabled it to delve more deeply into the stories of times past, both natural and built places
- And there have been 3 exciting films played on television, cinemas and national radio, starring Culzean Castle, Kellie Castle and the Hermitage
None of this is possible without the hard work of those working for the Trust and all its supporters, be they volunteers, the local community and donors. And members play a crucial role in supporting all this work, so why not join in the effort and give a gift membership to the National Trust for Scotland or join yourself? Or why not give a gift membership to the Trust’s ROOTS scheme and support their work? Ben Lomond.... just absolutely stunning with spectactular views from the summit.
These places give us the chance to discover the stories of Scotland and the Scottish people and how the country has interacted with the wider world. Help protect Scotland’s heritage for future generations to enjoy |